About
Winspear Opera House is recognized as America’s finest opera house.
The Winspear Opera House is a 21st century reinterpretation of the traditional “horseshoe” shaped opera house, engineered specifically for performance of opera and musical theatre, with stages equipped for performance of ballet and other types of dance. The Winspear Opera House is designed by Foster + Partners under Pritzker prize-winning architect Norman Foster and Deputy Chairman Spencer de Grey.
The entrance to the Winspear Opera House features the Annette and Harold Simmons Signature Glass Facade, which ascends 60 feet creating a seamless visual appearance between the vibrant red glass panels of the McDermott Performance Hall and the surrounding Sammons Park. Radiating from the Winspear Opera House on all sides, the Sky Canopy provides shade to the Simmons Glass Facade over three acres of Sammons Park, defining new outdoor spaces for visitors to gather.
The principal performance space, The Margaret McDermott Performance Hall, features retractable screens, a spacious fly-tower, a three-square stage with generous side and rear stage areas, variable acoustics, and accommodates 2,200 patrons.
“Quite justifiably, it has come to be recognized as America’s finest opera house.” – John Allison, Opera Magazine
